From cubs to champs: Young George Fox wins D-III national championship

It was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the George Fox (Ore.) University women’s basketball team.The Bruins just happened to construct a perfect season.George Fox defeated Washington University in St. Louis 60-53 in the finals of the NCAA Division III Women’s Basket...

It was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the George Fox (Ore.) University women’s basketball team.

The Bruins just happened to construct a perfect season.

George Fox defeated Washington University in St. Louis 60-53 in the finals of the NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Championships Saturday afternoon in front of a crowd of 1,830 at DeVos Fieldhouse to complete a 32-0 season.

The Bruins did so with one senior and 10 freshmen on their roster.

“They competed like champions,” said George Fox coach Scott Rueck, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Division III Coach of the Year. “I would put our talent with any team, but it was the experience we lacked.”

The Bruins faced an uphill climb. Northwest Conference coaches picked George Fox to finish fifth in their league after losing seven seniors following a Sweet Sixteen loss to Hope College.

George Fox got its revenge on the Flying Dutch in the Elite Eight last weekend and became the second straight team to win the Division III national title with a perfect record.

Last year, Howard Payne (Texas) University won at DeVos Fieldhouse to cap a 33-0 season. Howard Payne also beat Hope in the Elite Eight.

George Fox is the first women’s team west of Texas to win the Division III title.

“About a month ago, I knew we could make a run,” freshman Sage Indendi said.

Nobody, even on our team, thought the national title was within reach, especially George Fox’s lone senior Kristen Shielee.

The 6-foot-4 center, who considered not playing basketball this year, earned the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player honors by scoring 17 points and grabbing seven rebounds.

Shielee’s play helped the Bruins as they didn’t make perimeter shots as frequently as they did while tying a tournament record with 14 3-pointers in a semifinal win over The College of New Jersey Friday.

George Fox fed Shielee for back-to-back layups bumped the Bruins’ lead back up to 55-50 with 57 seconds remaining.

WashU, which finished runner-up for the second time in three years and was denied the fifth title in school history, had rallied from a 14-point, second-half deficit and could have taken the lead if Halsey Ward’s 3-pointer hadn’t rattled out.

“Our shots were falling short and we needed to go in for more high-percentage shots,” Rueck said.

Shielee hit 5-of-6 free throws to seal the outcome.

The Bruins shot 4-of-17 from beyond the 3-point line to push their tournament total to 42, breaking the tournament record of 39 set by New York University in 1997.

Indendi, who hit six 3s Friday night, went 1-of-7 from 3-point range in the championship game and finished with 13 points. She played 38 minutes after playing 32 Friday.

When WashU closed within 24-23, George Fox junior Elise Kuenzi hit a 3 to put the Bruins up by four.

Indendi hit her lone 3 two possessions later to build the Bruins’ lead to 32-22.

The biggest 3-pointer, however, came from freshman Lindsay Keener, who sank one as time expired in the first half, to give the Bruins a 38-39 lead.

Kuenzi scored 13 of her 14 points in the first half, including nine points in a row — a three-point play, layup and four free throws, following a WashU technical foul.

“I had the mindset that my team needed me to score,” she said. “They adjusted well in the second half.”

The Bears shut Kuenzi down in the second half and came alive offensively. Chipping away at a double-digit lead, WashU’s Jaimie McFarlin took control. She scored six points in two minutes to pull WashU within one point (51-50) with 2:11 remaining in the game.

“I am proud of our kids for coming back,” WashU coach Nancy Fahey said. “(The Bruins) shoot the ball so well. We gambled and they missed a few outside shots. Our defense got us back into the game.”

But the Bruins pounded it inside to Shielee, who scored two consecutive baskets to give George Fox a 55-50 lead.

WashU missed a 3-pointer and turned the ball over on its last possession. Indendi and Shielee each made both of their free throws to seal the victory. The Bruins capitalized on foul calls by going 18 for 22 from the free-throw line while WashU was 7 for 9.

“It was vital,” Rueck said. “We attacked the basket and put pressure on their defense. Interestingly enough, that has been our Achilles heel all season.”